Lagomorpha Navigation

The daily movements of animals are governed by many factors including the need to find food, water, conspecifics, and favorable environmental conditions while trying to avoid predators, dominant ecological competitors, and unfavorable habitats and conditions. Animals use external cues to guide their movements in the landscape and the timing thereof. The navigational capabilities of lagomorphs are poorly understood, with the few movement studies to have been conducted focusing on dispersal, home range behavior, foraging, and habitat use. Given the lack of navigation-specific literature, here I broadly summarize research on movement behavior, particularly in the context of home ranges, habitat use, and dispersal, in each group of lagomorphs.